Does a video shared on social platforms show an authentic Arctic woolly snake discovered by researchers in Antarctica? No, that's not true: The video was created by an artificial intelligence tool, not by a camera that recorded real people handling a real creature, according to an AI detection tool used by Lead Stories. A search online for information about the purported snake only found similar social media posts and no authoritative sources confirming it exists. The timeline of the X account that shared this video is filled with similar AI-created content.
The claim appeared in a video (archived here) published on X by @InterestingSci1 on May 26, 2025, under the title "Arctic Snake woolly Snake". The narration of the video opened:
Welcome to the frozen reaches of Antarctica's Ross Ice Shelf where one of the continent's most resilient cold climate species continues to thrive. The woolly snake Serpentes Linigerus, long known to researchers and native to this snowy biome. This woolly snake has adapted perfectly to life beneath the ice and snow, making it a remarkable example of evolutionary ingenuity in extreme environments. This massive albino serpent with its ghostly white scales and thick shaggy coat thrives where temperatures drop to -40°C. Stick around to see how researchers are unraveling its incredible cold weather secrets.
This is what the post looked like at the time of writing:
(Source: screenshot of X.com by Lead Stories)
The video's narration continued:
I'm Steve Roberts joining a team of scientists who've traveled here to study the snake's natural antifreeze protein, a key to its survival. This three-meter-long predator hunts seals and penguins by detecting their faint body heat, striking with lethal precision, all thanks to a dense layer of hollow wool-like scales that trap heat and a unique antifreeze in its blood that prevents ice from forming. Watch as researchers brave the blizzards tracking the snakes, pale form weaving through the snow, it's eerie low frequency hiss echoing across the ice. Their work is shedding light on this cold-blooded marvel not only survives, but dominates the Antarctic landscape. This is Steve Roberts for Global Nature News. Stay curious and keep exploring the wild with us.
Lead Stories used HiveModeration.com to test if the video was generated by an AI tool. Hive concluded there was a 98 percent probability that it was fake.
Lead Stories could find no authoritative references to the "Serpentes Linigerus" referenced by the narrator. A Google search for "Steve Roberts for Global Nature News" revealed several bizarre videos, including one of "zombie holding ponds." We could find no credible information about the existence of "Global Nature News."
